Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Zimbo:

4/5 rDev +7.5%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

If this was named differently and not designated as a Belgian IPA it would get more respect. Sort of like an Imperial Hoegaarden as it looks and feels superficially quite the same but has a much more delectable sweet concentrated nose and much more stuffing in its core which makes more a fairly luscious and satisfying drink. Very much enjoyed once I forgot what it was suppose to be.

More User Reviews:

Beautiful pour into my Chimay chalice.Big pale foamy head that hangs around. Bubbly effervescence persistent from center of glass. Golden clear Lager-like appearance first pour clouds up later with sediment.Tart almost skunky taste is enjoyable because of its uniqueness but not something worth seeking out.One was enough.

Unusual bottle, its an 11.2 ouncer and its a swingtop...rinsed and will be a sauce dispenser of some sort in its next life...this one poured cloudy light tangarine. Sweeter nose with a moderate hony whiff. Pleasant enough Belgian pale, the hops seemed to be on the muted/subtle side, so not sure what makes this one an "IPA". Worth a try but nothing to get overly excited about.

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Jan 2014. Picked up from a Belgian supermarket while on a trip there back in May. Described on the label as strong and bitter. I've had this before on a previous trip to Belgium; I recall that it was poured into a large tulip glass with the yeast presented in a separate shot glass.

Poured into a Delirium chalice (with the lees poured into a small glass). A rich golden hue with faint haze and plentiful carbonation. Produces a vast head of creamy white foam with superb retention; this slowly subsides to a thick surface layer, leaving a fantastic trail of lacing in it's wake. In short, it looks like the perfect Belgian beer. Aroma of warm, fruity yeast esters with hints of clove, banana, pepper, spice, grassy hops, mild herbs, candy sugar, earthiness and a warming background note of alcohol. Not particularly hoppy, but possesses a nice Belgian yeast character.

Tastes of fruity yeast with a grassy, herbal character and a dry finish. Notes of clove, subtle banana, grass, mild herbs, pepper, spice, earthy yeast, sugar and stewed hops. Slightly sweet but dry and well attenuated. A very restrained herbal bitterness upon swallowing, followed by a warming whiff of booze. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and full-bodied. Tingly and spicy on the tongue - I suspect the high ABV is at play. Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of fruity, earthy yeast and dry herbal notes.

Tasty and well-crafted. It certainly isn't a Belgian IPA - more of a strong pale ale. Although the hops are a tad more distinctive compared with your typical Belgian beer, they are grassy and herbal while adding a delicate bitterness. Hopus is no hop bomb. With that said, it has a balanced yeasty character fleshed out with a hint of sweetness and some serious booze. Perfect for appreciating the relative subtleties of Belgian brewing - it goes down nicely. Worth sampling if you chance across it.

A: Pours a cloudy golden amber with a dense white head that froths up quickly. While the head dissipates, some good lacing is left on the glass. Lots of visible carbonation.

S: Belgian farmhouse blended with a bitter hop backing. Maltiness comes through giving it a cereal of bready type aroma. A bit of harsh alcohols in there.

T: As with the aroma, the focus of this is on the Belgian characteristics. Spoiled with the IPA's of America, this is much lower on the bitter spectrum. A real nice carmel malting comes through that rounds this out into a tasty beers.

M: Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with a good level of carbonation. Alcohol is warming but not overly hot. A bit sticky from the hops and malt sweetness but still quite drinkable.

Overall this is certainly one of the more bitter beers from Belgium I've tried. That being said the focus still seems a bit heavy on the malt flavors, which do make for a quality beer.

S: Citrus and pine from the hops are the main aroma in this beer. There is some malt and Belgian yeast waiting around in the back.

T: After an initial Belgian yeast flavor, the citrus notes from the hops take center stage.

M: Medium body with good carbonation. Alcohol well hidden.

O: This was a total blind buy for my first purchase in Belgium. I tired finding something a similar to what I'm used to back home in Seattle before branching out. Nice combination of a Belgian ale with citrus and pine hop flavor from a typical IPA.

A nice blond with some hoppiness, but nothing extraordinaire. Funky yeasty aromas. Very yellow body with some significant white head. Lacey. A tad below average mouthfeel for the style. Drinkable because of the mild spiciness, which I take as cinammon.

Poured a swing-top into my glass and had a very tall white head with a clear, gold body. I was a bit let down by this beer after hearing good things from friends. There was an astringent alcohol taste for starters. Also, the hops were very mild, hardly bigger than a dry Belgian pale ale. The basic malts reminded me of Duvel - for the white grape, bready taste - but it didn't have the same rich yeast character. I don't know if this had too much aging or too little, or if there's something else going on, but I'd avoid this beer. There are simply better Belgians out there for your time and money.

In my opinion this beer is evidently based on the Barbar Honey Beer of which I'm a great fan. It looks like Lefebvre put some extra hops extract in it in stead of the honey. The result is quite nice, but not very distinguishing.

It looked impressive, that's for sure. The hops were there, but what else?